A Simple Lunch From India

Have you thought about some of your favorite recipes from around the world after our post yesterday about eating global cuisine using local foods? I happen to love food from India, and the smell of roasting spices really whets my appetite for the upcoming meal. Some of the spices are considered to be health boons, too, like turmeric which has many benefits and tastes delicious. Indian cooking can be complicated or simple and is often vegetarian, placing it lower on the ecological food chain than meats. (That simply means it takes less resources like time and water to produce.)

Here’s one of my favorite recipes:

Turmeric-Ginger Cauliflower
Recipe by Sai Viswanath

Ingredients 

Photo from foodnetwork.com

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and minced (leave out for very young children!)
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 head cauliflower (2 1/4 pounds), cut into 1-inch florets
Salt


 Directions 

Preheat the oven to 425°. In a small bowl, mix the oil with the tomato, mustard seeds, jalapeño, ginger and turmeric. On a large, rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower florets with the flavored oil. Season with salt and spread the cauliflower in an even layer. Roast for about 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and barely tender. Serve hot or at room temperature.

A perfect accompaniment is this recipe for making a refreshing yogurt drink from India called lassi from Vah-Chef. I just use my regular blender instead of the hand blender, and if you need to add sweetener, try a bit of raw agave nectar or local honey. I prefer those sweeteners over refined white sugar.



Now you have a delicious and healthy lunch! How about you? Do you have a special global lunch you enjoy making? Share with us in the comments!